Fighting hunger with outreach and education.

Nearly 150,000 people in San Francisco live with the threat of hunger. The San Francisco Food Bank distributes food -- 23 million pounds of food this year, enough to provide more than 50,000 meals each day - to the unexpectedly diverse group of people who need it. The Food Bank also educates audiences with its powerful Hunger 101 program.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about who is hungry," says Jessica Castelli, communications manager for San Francisco Food Bank. "A lot of our clients are working and working hard, but after they pay their bills, there isn't enough money for food."

Hunger 101 is a hands-on workshop that teaches about hunger and the people whom it affects. Hunger 101 Online is an interactive online tutorial based on the workshop. In both the workshop and the online tutorial, participants assume the role of a San Franciscan who is hungry. They must manage their resources and get enough food to feed their family at a simulated grocery store, soup kitchen or food stamp office.

"Hunger 101 shows that hunger isn't just about homeless people," Castelli adds. "Participants play the roles of people they might see in the city every day."

In addition to trying Hunger 101 Online, visitors to the Food Bank's Web site learn about the organization and about hunger, volunteer, and make financial contributions.

"In today's world, people are looking for fast, easy and convenient," Castelli adds. "If you don't have a Web site or your site isn't easy to find and navigate, people will go elsewhere to get information, donate and volunteer."

www.sffoodbank.org